Improvement in basso-tenuto for m elodeons, stc



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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED ZAWADSKI, OF SYRAGUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND J. G. O. REDINGTON, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BASSO-TENUTO FOR MELODEONS, 84.0.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l0 2,353, dated April 26, 1870.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED ZAWADsKI, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a new` and useful Improvement in Melodeons, Organs, 85e.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot' this specification, in which Figure l is a sectional side view of my improvement, and Figs. 2 and 3 are detailed views.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to certain improyement in stops for prolonging` the bass-notes of melodeons and organs, whereby the performer is enabled to use both hands elsewhere on the key-board 5 and the invention consists in so modifying the construction of the stickers or pins that communicate the motion of the keys to the reed-valves that they are retained in a depressed position by a suitable detent as long as may be desired, the said prolongation-stop being combined with a suitable device, to be operated by the toot or knee, for throwing it on or ott' at will, as hereinafter more i1 ully explained.

In the accompanying drawings, A B are the keys. U shows one of the reeds, and D is the reed-valve, held up against the port d by a spring, c, in the ordinary manner. F is the sticker or rod that communicates the motion of the key A to its valve D. This rod, instead of being made in a plain cylindrical form, as heretofore, is provided with a shoulder or boss, f, the sides of said boss being cam-shaped or conical, as shown at f in Fig. 3.

On the upper side otl the guide-bar G is a sliding plate, H, a plan view of which is shown in Fig. 2. This plate has a series ot holes through it, and the stickers pass down through these holes, as seen in Fig. 3. The plate H has a spring, I, Fig. 3, which presses it endwise, so that when a sticker is depressed, as shown by F', the sliding plate or detent H engages with the shoulder above the boss j" to hold the sticker in such depressed position, and in this way the reed-valve is held open and the sound prolonged after the hand has been withdrawn from the key; and when a second key is struck or depressed the sticker of the iirst is released as the boss ol' the second sticker passes down through the detentplate, said plate being momentarily moved endwise against the spring I as each key is struck, and this causes the holes in the detentplate to come directly over those in the guidebar G, so that the depressed sticker or key always releases itself as another is depressed. The detent-plate is thrown into or out ot' action by a knee-lever, K, which makes connection with the detent-plate by a stiri up, lc. This lever K cau be made to work with sufficient friction to hold the plate H out of action against the pressure ofthe spring I, or it may have a spring, m, to assist it in resisting the spring I when so holding the detent-plate H. The detent-plate is secured to the top of the guide-bar G by small screws passing through siots in the plate. By these means l obtain a prolongation-stop that is easily operated and very substantial in construction.

I do not claim, broadly, the combination, with a prolongation-stop, of a device to render said stop inoperative at will, as this is not new; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The stickers or eonnectingpins F, when made with shoulders j', or their equivalents, to engage in the depressed position with a suitable detent, for the purpose herein specified.

2. In combination with the sticker-pins and sliding detent, the knee-lever K, when all said parts are constructed and arranged to operate as herein described.

The above specitication of my invention signed by me this 3d day of February, 1870.

l ALFRED ZAWADSKI.

Witnesses:

It. HIRsH, F. A. MOELEY. 

